Silo-packer.



G. R. ROGERS.

SILO PAGKBR.

APPLICATION FILED APR.12,1909.-

93 1 ,090. Patented Aug. 17, 1909. T 1E'- -L ZBHEETS-SHEET 1.

SWL/vento@ G. R. ROGERS.

SILO PAGKER.

APPLlCATION FILED APR. l2, 1909. 931,090. l Patented Aug. 17, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MMM Q 'bw fw Nasal-,090.

-tamping the silage down as it in the siloand ment of UNITED `STATES-PATEN T OFFICE.

GEORGE R.ROGERS, OF RACCOON, INDIANA. SILO-PACKER.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, .1909.

Application ld April 12, 1909. Serial N0. 489,887.

To `all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE R. ROGERS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Raccoon, in the county of Putnam and State of Indiana, haveinvented certain new and use- Improvements in lSilo-Packers; and I dodeclare the following to be' a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as Wiil enable others skilled in the art to which it apertains to'makeand use the same.

yinvention relates to packing devices partlcularly adapted for use insilos. e

.The operation vof packing the silage in the silo has heretofore beenaccom lished by placing onev or twomen within t e silo and was placedtherein. This operation was an extremely disagreeable one and it is theobject of the invention to rovide a device which will obviate the di'culty and disagreeableness encountered in getting down into the silo andtamping the silage therein.

further object of the invention is the rovision of means for causing thepacking eviceto lrotate so that it Aengages the material at differentpoints upon each stroke.

A still-further object of the invention is the provision of novel meansfor automaticy raising and lowering the packing device means for guldingthe same in its movements. A

With vthese and other objects in view, the inventioniconsists of certainnovel features of construction, combination and arrangerts, Vas will bemore fully described and partlcularly'ponted out in the appended claims.

Inthe''accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the silowith. a portion of its wallbroken away so as to more clearly illustratethe 'applicatlon of the device; Fig. 2 is avertical section through thesilo showand gui arms in alinement; 1g..3 is a side elevatlon showingthe position of the packing device when in raised position; 4 is ahorizontal sectional view .of the packing arms taken Von line 4`4 ofFig. 5 is a bottom lan view of the packing arms and the attac ing yokewhich connects them to the arms; Fig. 6 is a detail side elevation of te reci rocating mechanism with a hand lever apphed thereto; Fig. 7 is adetail sectional view on the line 7 7 ofFig. 2; Fig. 8 is a detailperspectiveqview of one of the ratchet pawls; Fig. 9 is la detailperspective view of one of the opshown in the 'pass from the pulle areadapted to engage the erating cams; and Fig. 10 is a detailsectionthrough the tamping arm taken to one side of the ratchet shaft. l

This device is referably operated by the same power whic makes thesilage but -as drawings it ma be operated by the hand e ually as well.ere the device is operatedl through the machinery of the sllage cutterthe entire operation is automatic.

1 represents a silo having 2, and a top at 3. This construction may beofy any suitable type and ma be constructed of any suitable materialaslumber or cement as is customary. Secured to the top 3, is a pulley 4,over which the operating cable, 5, is adaptedto which is mounted in thewall of the silo. T e power end of the cable is attached to a 'drumwhich is mounted upon the side of the silo and adaptedto be operated bythe hand lever, 7, and the pins, 8, thereon which enter the apertures,9, in the drum. The drum is mounted u n a shaft, 10, which is journa-lcdin the walloof the silo and has arranged on its inner end a spiral Inthe drawings, a bottom shown 'at spring, 11, which normally keeps thepins, 8,

1n enga ement with the apertures, 9, in the drum', t e lever beingsecured directly to the end of the shaft. Arran ed on either side of thedrum in diametricalgr opposite positions are suitable cams, 12 and 13,both of which extended ends of the lever 7, and throw the pins, 8, outof engagement with the apertures, 9, in the drum,` thus releasing thesame and permitting the weight of the packing device'to rotate the Vdrumm a reverse dlrection. The operating cable is guided to the pulley'bylmeans of an idler, 14, which it engages after passing throughanaperture, 15, onthe cam, `12. The drum is preferably held so astoprevent lost motion by the sprin pressed brake,16.

The operating end of t e guiding-arms, 18, whichare balanced on' eitherside of the cable and are 4guided in their movement by the verticalguide yrods or `wires, 19, which are stretched between the bottom 2, andthe top, 3, and pass through the apertures, 20, in the ends of saidarms. Pass' through the center of the arms, 18, is aushaft, 21, which iskeyed to the arms by a wire, 22, which passes therethrough and issecured on the rear side to the arms, 18. This shaft has secured to itslower end a ratchet wheel, 23, and su ports pivotally mounted upon theshaft, t eyoke member, 24, having pivoted in its outer` ends the packingarms, 25. These arms are adapted to drop down at their lower end whenthe guiding arms are raised and to be forced to a position parallel withthe guiding arms by contact with the materia being packed. Each one ofthe arms carries at its outer end the pivoted inwardly extendingsmoothing devices, 26, which constantly rest upon the material in eitherof their positions and tend, when the arms rotate as will be hereinafterdescribed, to level the silage being operated upon. Each packing arm hasivoted to its mner end immediately above its pivotal point upon the yokemember, 24, a ratchet pawl, 27. These ratchet pawls, 27, are arranged onopposite sides of the ratchet wheel, 23, and ave their inturned endsspring pressed into engagement with the teeth of said wheel and theirout-turned ends passing through limiting slots, 28, formed in the sidesof the yoke member and adapted to limit the downward movement of thepacking arms, 25. lt will of course be understood that as the shaft, 21,and the ratchet wheel, .28, are stationary with respect to the guidingarms that when the packin arms are allowed to dro at their outer en sthey carry with them t e pawls', 27, and as mese are in engagement withstationary teeth upon the ratchet wheelfthe arms and yoke member, 25 and24, respectively, are caused to rotate upon the shaft, 21.

When the parts are allowed to assume their normal position by reason ofthe operating lever, 8, being dropped out of engagement with the drum,the arms, 25, engage the silage and pack it, and at the same time returnto normal position parallel with the guiding arms, 18. At this time thepawls, 27, ride idly over the ratchet wheel and engage another set ofteeth for the succeeding operation. It will thus be seen that as thedevice is raised and lowered automatically the packing arms rotate andstrike the silage at a different point each time and that u on eachmovement of the arms the smoothing iingers, 26, level the silage in thesilo.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the inventionwill be readily understood without re uiring a more extendedexplanation.

arious changes in the form, proportion and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantags of this invention.

aving thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An attachment for silos comprising a packing device, means forreciprocating said packing device, and means for rotating said packingdevice intermittently.

2. An attachment for silos com rising a packing device, means forraising t e same, means operated upon raising said packing device torotate the same a pre-determined distance, and means to release saidraising means.

3. A packing attachment for silos comprising guiding means, packingmeans carried by said guiding means, means for raising said guiding andpacking arms, and means carried by the packing device for leveling thematerial.

4. A packing attachment for silos, comprising guiding means, packingmeans journaled on said guiding means, means carried by said packingmeans and ada ted to coact with means carried upon t e guiding means torotate said packing means, means pivoted to the packing means forleveling the material being operated upon, and means for reciprocatingsaid packing means.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a silo, ofguiding rods mounted in the silo, guiding arms adapted to reciprocate onsaid rods, packing members pivotally connected to said guiding arms,means tor reciprocating said lguiding arms, and means for rotating saidacking members in the reciprocation ofp said guiding arms.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination with a silo, ofguiding rods secured therein, guiding arms mounted to reciprocate onsaid rods, a supporting yoke ivoted to the guiding arms, packing memerspivoted to said yoke, means for raising said guiding arms, meansoperated upon the raising of said arms to rotate said acking members,and means to vrelease sai raising means.

ln testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

GEORGE R. ROGERS.

